The United States has branded Iranian claims that the US and Israel are behind drone attacks on Gulf states as a “lie”.
Earlier today, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that the two countries could be responsible for the attacks while blaming Iran, according to the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency.
Araghchi said the US’ Lucas drone is a “perfect match” for the Iranian Shahed, and that it is possible these drones are being used against Arab nations to “sabotage the relations of these countries with Iran”.
The Lucas drone, which stands for low-cost uncrewed combat attack system, was used for the first time in combat during the current war with Iran, and was described by the US Central Command (Centcom) chief, Admiral Brad Cooper, as a Shahed drone “made better” and fired “right back at Iran”.
Responding to these claims, Centcom says Iran has launched “thousands of drones AND missiles” at its neighbours.
“US attack drones are only targeting Iranian military capabilities to eliminate threats posed to the region,” it continues in a statement on X.